The Open Forum State of the Union in review
The president’s State of the Union speech last night was a laugher because it so misrepresented how things are and what his administration has accomplished. It’s really sad that so many of our citizens (mostly Republicans) hang on the words of this world-class con man.
I didn’t keep score, but I give Donald Trump three things: the new job totals for January looked very good; he was willing to meet with the North Korean dictator; and he’s trying to do something about immigration.
However, Mr. Trump took off on a wild fantasy of dubious accomplishments and didn’t even mention voting rights or climate change and had all of these heroic guests, whose patriotism and character he hoped would rub off on him, but instead, provided a vivid contrast. How do you argue with that State of the Union? Trump 2020.
Will someone in the White House please inform the president that our economic recovery began in 2009, not 2017? From the bottom of the Great Recession until the beginning of 2017, the stock market tripled and unemployment was reduced from 10.0 percent to 4.7 percent.
The growth over the past two years seems to be a continuation of the recovery during the previous administration, not some remarkable achievement as touted by the president’s speech. So maybe we should also give the business community, the Federal Reserve and the previous administration some credit for the current strength of the economy. teachers, which goes against their core value of students first. High-quality teachers are among the most important factors for student success. Our experienced teachers will continue to leave DPS when they can be better compensated by neighboring school districts.
A strike is the one tool that will make DPS come to the table for fair and good faith negotiating (they have yet to do so in good faith). DPS is hedging its bets. Teachers do not want to strike; this is an absolute last resort. Parents, students and communities stand with them in support.
As a special educator, I firmly believe that given adequate resources and relevant opportunities, all students can succeed.
For years, schools in Denver have begged for more resources to support struggling readers. Research demonstrates that specific interventions can lead to incredible academic gains. We’re always told that, although the algebra curriculum is paid for by the district, there is simply no funding for the reading interventions that our kids need.
Therefore, imagine my surprise upon learning DPS spent $136,000 on lesson plans, but has no money for crucial resources for our highestneeds kids.
DPS continues to show its true colors. The pro-charter school board continues to prioritize top-heavy administrations and a prevent-strike-at-all-costs attitude that does nothing but harm kids.
The community is watching. Teachers, parents and students are watching. If DPS wants to actually put students first, they need to put the money in the classrooms.